Waiting on the End
by Avirra
Summary: A landing party is ambushed and held for ransom. Alternate universe - Jim/Bones suggested only.


It had been three days since the Enterprise had responded to a medical distress call and the assembled landing party of five that had gone to help had beamed into an ambush. Their uniform tunics, boots and equipment had been stripped from them and left in a pile for the Enterprise to find along with a ransom demand plus the warning that one hostage would die every day that the payment wasn't made for their return.

McCoy ran a hand through his hair and glanced briefly toward the sky. Starfleet didn't do ransoms. The reason was obvious - pay one ransom, expect a hundred more demands. That others might be spared this situation in the future was cold comfort to a doctor who had tried to offer himself to protect the others, but he already had to watch the executions of Lieutenant Diggs of Security and Ensign Ruda, one of his youngest nurses. This had been her first away team assignment.

It was nearing the time for the next execution. McCoy ordered his two remaining nurses to stay to the back of their cage, remain silent and conserve their strength. Since their capture, they had been given water and occasional beatings, but no food. He pushed down his own feelings of foreboding and did his best to encourage them to not give in. The Captain would find them. By the look in their eyes, he could tell they were agreeing with him just to humor him, but that was alright. Jim was looking for them - McCoy might be cynical about most things in the universe, but he knew without a single doubt that Jim was not only looking, but wouldn't give up.

When they came to choose, McCoy was picked. He accepted it with a odd combination of relief and resignation. He didn't want to draw attention to the nurses, so he didn't fight them. It didn't seem to matter to their captors - they roughly bound McCoy's arms behind him anyway before shoving him through the door of the cage then out of the building. Once he was out in the open courtyard, they forced him down to his knees. He knew what was next. He closed his eyes and waited for the whining sound their energy weapons made just before they discharged.

Then he heard a familiar female voice. McCoy didn't know which of the billion or so languages she spoke that Nyota Uhura was using, but he raised his head and looked in that direction. Her back was to him but he still met a pair of familiar eyes. They were the piercing blue that belonged to James Kirk - standing just beyond the fence that enclosed the building where they were being held. He wasn't dressed in uniform and neither was Uhura, who seemed to be engaged in an argument with the leader of the ones that had taken them. While he couldn't understand the words, McCoy could understand tone and body language enough to know that the argument wasn't going Uhura's way.

Part of McCoy wished that Kirk wasn't standing there to witness his death, but a more selfish part of him was glad that he wouldn't be alone when he died. So when he heard the whine of the energy weapon behind him, he didn't close his eyes, he kept them open and stayed focused on Kirk - on Jim. The best friend he'd ever had. He felt a short burst of pain and then nothing.

* * *

><p>He opened his eyes to darkness and closed them again. At first, McCoy couldn't remember why being able to open his eyes seemed wrong, then he remembered that he'd died. He quickly decided that death was not the state of non-being he had been told it was. It was actually pretty painful. He attempted to move, but there was a weight on him. A warm weight that started moving itself in response to him.<p>

"Bones?"

"Jim?"

McCoy had never been happier that his friend had such a short name. Even getting out that one syllable had been a strain.

"Shh - easy, Bones. You're back on the Enterprise. I am so, so sorry it took us so long to find where they were holding you."

"Alive?"

That question got a short burst a laughter that had an edge to it McCoy couldn't quite place as he opened his eyes again and focused on the blue eyes that were keeping watch over him.

"You're very much alive. Those jerks went ahead and shot you with a heavy stun after we'd reached a deal, so you're going to be sore for awhile."

Kirk brought a spoon of ice chips up and slid them into McCoy's mouth. As they started to melt, the cool soothed his throat while Kirk continued to talk.

"Don't talk any more right now, Bones. We were too late to save Diggs and Ruda, but the rest of you will be fine. Starfleet refused to consider the ransom demand, so we had to find another way. And we did."

A slight smirk formed as Kirk gave him another spoon of ice chips before pulling out an old-fashioned paper document and holding it up.

"Uhura and I went planet-side pretending to be slavers. We managed to buy the three of you. So even though it isn't a legal document inside the boundaries of the Federation, I'm keeping this, Bones. It says you belong to me."

Swallowing down the melted ice reflexively, McCoy motioned for Kirk to come closer. His voice was still whisper soft, but not as rough.

"Always have."

The smirk turned into a full-blown smile as Kirk let the paper fall away as he reached up, running the back of his fingers across the beginnings of a beard that had formed on McCoy while they were missing.

"Get some rest, Bones. I'll be right here when you wake back up."

McCoy's hand came up next to Kirk's and Kirk took hold of it gently, intertwining their fingers together. The smile that formed on McCoy's face remained there as he eased into a deep sleep. Settling himself into a more comfortable position to keep his watch, Kirk gave the hand he held a light squeeze as he whispered.

"Always have. Always will."


End file.
